In certain engines it is sometimes necessary to include fluid dampers for high speed bearings supporting the engine rotors. For a description of such a fluid damper, reference should be made to U.S. Pat. No. 4,337,983, granted to D. H. Hibner on July 6, 1982 and assigned to the same assignee as this patent application. Obviously, all bearings require a suitable lubrication system to cool and lubricate the rotating parts.
It has heretofore been the practice to supply individually each of these systems with oil utilizing separate oil delivery lines and distribution systems. Namely, the viscous damper would have its own lubrication system and the bearing would have another lubrication system.
I have found that I can combine both functions utilizing a simple transfer tube resulting in the elimination of one of the lubrication systems. The transfer tube not only reduces the overall weight of the combined systems but also is less expensive to fabricate. A characteristic of the system is the easy removal of the transfer tube so that it can be maintained or replaced without the cumbersome task of removing a significant part of the engine, particularly the bearing assembly. It is contemplated that the transfer tube allows oil to flow both in an axial and radial direction.